


horse ride to roses

by scatteredmoonlight



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Modern Westeros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 17:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20139139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatteredmoonlight/pseuds/scatteredmoonlight
Summary: Jon introduces Sansa to his mother.





	horse ride to roses

Jon had never told her the address.

The long ride through Dragonstone — by horseback, at least he had told her _ that _ahead of time — concerned her slightly. 

They said a brief hello to his aunt Daenerys who kindly held Sansa’s hand and gave her welcome to Dragonstone. Then they quickly mounted their horses and rode into the forests, following a well-worn hiking path. She hadn’t dressed to capture the approval of an outdoorsy woman. In truth, she had dressed for the eye of her own mother, having no other mother to impress in her life. Sansa had not often been to Dragonstone, journeying to the estate for holidays to see Jon’s aunt Daenerys, who ran the estate. She was almost as impressive as the well-kept castle walls and its intricate stairs leading to the dark, sea-beaten estate. 

She wondered why his mother was not in King’s Landing with Jon’s father, Rhaegar, but instead so far into Dragonstone’s woodlands. Perhaps she was a recluse who preferred a simple life in her wood cabin, and Jon hurt to speak directly of an estranged marriage. She wanted to ask, but a storm had clouded his dark eyes since they exited the highway and rode the scenic path along the sea to Dragonstone.

Jon’s horse slowed as they neared a rough patch in the hiking trail. Without the beat of hooves to muffle her words, Sansa called out, “Are you close yet?”

“Almost. You’ll know when you see it.”

They passed over the rough patch, and soon the horses kicked back into a trot.

The winds created by her horse’s speed pinked her cheeks to a lovely rose, a natural blush as if she had spent all day pinching it like she heard women used to back in the old days. She breathed in the wondrous scents of the forest and imagined herself a fairy tale princess riding behind her rivaling prince while guards chased after them on noble, albeit slower, steads. 

But her dreaming crashed back to reality at the sight of the tombstone.

It stood at the center of a sisterhood of rose bushes, the red petals bright and healthy with the evidence of strong roots. She glanced at Jon before cutting her gaze back to the tombstone. On it, letters were embossed and read: _ Lyanna Targaryen-Stark. _

“Lyanna?” she whispered, as Jon slowed his horse. Her aunt Lyanna? She settled her horse down and got off before him. She swept to the tombstone and tried to make sense of this. He stood beside her, silent. “Jon?”

“I didn’t know how to tell you. Ned doesn’t like talking about your aunt — my mother. Neither do I. It’s too hard.”

Her vision swam with the prickles of budding tears. She reached out and grabbed his hand, not knowing what to say. “I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to apologize for, but thanks anyway,” he said, squeezing her hand. “This was her favorite spot in all of Dragonstone. My father planted the roses as a boy. She often came here to read, or so my father says. I never knew her. She died giving birth.”

She pressed against his side in a faux hug and rubbed his arm. A second apology laid on the tip of her tongue that she didn’t voice. “She sounds lovely.”

“I’m sorry for keeping her from you.”

She kissed his shoulder. “I understand.”

Jon shifted, and she released him from her embrace. From the satchel tied to his horse’s saddle, Jon retrieved a book of songs. “It’s my mother’s favorite. Seemed fitting.”

Sansa’s heart soared. “Read something to me.”

Jon smiled. They sat cross legged by her tombstone and read until hunger ached in the bottoms of their bellies.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr post ♥](https://scatteredmoonlightt.tumblr.com/post/186820557402/horse-ride-to-roses-angst-hurtcomfort-modern)


End file.
